The Oregon Commission on Statewide Law Enforcement Standards of Conduct and Discipline today announced proposed rules relating to statewide standards for police officer discipline. Public feedback is invited and will help inform the final rules, which must be adopted by October 1.

The Oregon legislature last year passed HB 2930 (2021), which established the 15-member Commission and authorized it to develop and implement uniform standards of conduct and discipline for all law enforcement officers in Oregon. The Commission was directed to adopt standards relating to at least seven specific categories of misconduct.

The Commission is co-chaired by Michael Slauson, the Oregon Department of Justice’s Criminal Justice Division (DOJ—CJ) Chief Counsel, and by Brian Henson, the acting director of the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST). The Commission also must submit a report to the Oregon legislature by September 1st describing the development of the proposed rules, and how law enforcement agencies will be notified of the rules.

Given the timeline set by the legislature, the Commission met frequently over the past six months. Although the members were divided on several issues, publishing the draft rules today keeps the Commission on track to seek public comment and meet the statutory deadlines.

Former DOJ Deputy Attorney General Fred Boss has been serving as Executive Director of the Commission. He and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum jointly stated:

“Publishing these proposed rules mark an important step toward adopting statewide law enforcement discipline standards—for the first time. We want to thank the co-chairs and members of the Commission for their diligence in meeting the legislature’s deadlines, including 26 hours of meetings over six months. The Commission’s work continues, and we look forward to robust feedback from the public in the coming weeks.”